Via The Daily Green
Swimming can be great exercise and a lot of fun, not to mention an exciting sport at the Olympics. But the chlorine used in most pools can have some negative side effects, not the least of which is reliance on toxic (and finicky) chemicals.
Chlorine's damaging effects on hair are well known, but few people realize that a number of studies have linked inhalation of the chemical by swimmers to increased asthma rates. A Norwegian study also documented an increased risk of wheezing among children who swim in pools before 6 months of age. In an unpleasant reaction, pee and sweat in water can react with chlorine to form toxic breakdown products known as chloramines.
For health, environmental and aesthetic reasons, a lot of people have expressed interest in alternatives to chlorine pools, and luckily there are more and more options to get wet without smelling like cleaning products. A company called TechnoPure offers alternative pool systems that treat water by pumping it through a chamber containing coated titanium plates and copper and zinc ions. The units cost a relatively affordable $5,500. DEL Ozone makes ozone injectors that can reduce the need for chlorine up to 90% -- there's been one installed at the White House for years! Some systems rely on a combination of ozone and copper and silver ions, while others are saline, though saltwater pools result in the formation of chlorine in the water.
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How Do They Work?
The materials and designs of natural pools can vary widely. Many are lined with rubber or reinforced polyethylene. In most popular models, such as those offered by Kansas-based Total Habitat, the swimming area is separated from a zone planted with aquatic vegetation, which act as biological filters. A small waterfall can add ambiance as well as valuable aeration. A skimmer may be used to collect large debris. Total Habitat typically adds a UV sterilizer to assure any germs are killed.
Worried about mosquitoes? Don't be! According to Total Habitat's president Mick Hilleary, natural predators and moving water make a natural swimming pools practically mosquito free. Hilleary says four tires stacked in your neighbor's backyard will create 100 times more mosquitoes.
Is Natural Pool Water Safe?
According to Brown, people always ask the health question first. He says people just need to think about pools a little differently. "Instead of creating an abhorrence of nature where everything is dead, it's creating natural healthy water that takes care of itself," says Brown.
Brown believes properly designed natural pools provide virtually no risk of dangerous contamination, provided they are used reasonably, and not constantly stuffed to capacity with bathers. He says most health departments don't have any regulations on residential pools, so consumers have little worry about breaking any local codes. However, that's not necessarily the case with public pools, which often do have strict requirements.
"Some of the current regulations for public pools are things natural pools would never be able to do, like zero E. coli. There probably isn't a natural body of water anywhere that has zero E. coli," says Brown. Instead, Brown designs to German regulations, which he says are twice as stringent as the rules that govern beach closures in the U.S., in terms of acceptable levels of contaminants.
Hybrid Pools
According to Brown, people always ask the health question first. He says people just need to think about pools a little differently. "Instead of creating an abhorrence of nature where everything is dead, it's creating natural healthy water that takes care of itself," says Brown.
Brown believes properly designed natural pools provide virtually no risk of dangerous contamination, provided they are used reasonably, and not constantly stuffed to capacity with bathers. He says most health departments don't have any regulations on residential pools, so consumers have little worry about breaking any local codes. However, that's not necessarily the case with public pools, which often do have strict requirements.
"Some of the current regulations for public pools are things natural pools would never be able to do, like zero E. coli. There probably isn't a natural body of water anywhere that has zero E. coli," says Brown. Instead, Brown designs to German regulations, which he says are twice as stringent as the rules that govern beach closures in the U.S., in terms of acceptable levels of contaminants.
See the other beautiful sustainable pools here...
